Sony Shipping Android 4.3 to Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra

Sony issued a release today on its official blog, stating that Android 4.3 “Jelly Bean,” is now rolling out to Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra devices around the globe. Sony claims that they have been working hard with the new software, making sure that plenty of great user experiences are awaiting folks who update their devices.

For starters, Sony has implemented Smart Social Camera into the software for the Xperia Z Ultra, which is the company’s signature camera experience that launched with the Xperia Z1. Sony details the full changes owners should see, so if you’re toting an Xperia Z1 or Z Ultra around with you, check out the list.

Sony’s Media apps: WALKMAN, Album and Movies, with Sony Entertainment Network cloud service integration* – a more converged and full Sony entertainment experience – Sony Entertainment Network & PlayMemories integration with a more intuitive UI, offering seamless access to both local and cloud content

The launch of our unique custom interface experience: “Xperia Themes”, with downloadable UI packs from Sony Select – more on this soon…

This is fast to you? 4.3 launched months ago, and these are handsets that aren’t even locked down by carriers in this case.

And the updates are not needed? True, JB4.3 may not bring much, but of course KitKat (which has been pushed out to Q1 2014) definitely does. And that’s definitely important to the average owner of these devices.

Adrynalyne

In no part of his statement did he imply that this update was fast.

Ryan

LOL no its not fast sorry didnt mean to imply that. But with Android getting so much improvement from back in the days of gingerbread OS updates dont mean what they used to. I have a G2 and works fine, 4.3 and 4.4 arent a big deal for me.

I own them both and they’re nice, but there’s nothing that would make me want to buy either of them over phones from other manufacturers. In the end, they’re just some other Android phones with slow updates.

mustbepbs

Just another half-hearted effort from Sony in the Android ecosystem. And they wonder why their mobile division continues to bleed money. Don’t have much left to sell there, Kaz.

AtomicGadget

And here you are, jumping on the train. Might i ask you WHY they are such bad product? According to the avarage XDA person that owns a Z1 or Ultra, both of them are fantastic devices.

And stuff like the Xperia Play losing support for no reason and Sony going back on their promises for the device. They make pretty devices, I’ll give you that, but I’ll never trust them with another device again.

You obviously are hurt by this opinion and must be a shareholder.

AtomicGadget

So, because of Sony’s updates, or lack of those, the physical products that works as they should are bad products? At what point do they go from being excellent product to being bad? The second a new Android version hits the street and you have to wait for it? Whatever you say.

And on top of that you’re complaining that a niche device lost support. You do know what niche is right? Maybe you should go with a more popular or mainstream device next time.

The average XDA person loves the Z1 now? Just unlocking the bootloader on the device breaks the camera functionality. Only that.

And the Z Ultra? Great camera and everything, but no flash. I think we’ve come to at least expect that on every phone.

AtomicGadget

Are you sure that unlocking the bootloader breaks the camera? Check again (hint: 4.3 fixes it)

Also, i have the Ultra, and i have to disagree on this one. The Ultras camera is really really bad. I knew this long before i even bought it, but the Ultra isn’t advertised as a camera phone; the Z1 is. The Ultra is advertised as a business device, and it works great as that.

AtomicGadget

So you own them both, but you wouldn’t buy them. You bought one of them and decided that it was so bad that you bought the other. Yes, this seems plausible. s/

There’s a lot more to put into consideration there before jumping to conclusions 🙂

And no, they’re not “so bad”. I love them, but I see no plausible reason to choose them over any other OEM flagships (most with some sort of differentiating feature).

AtomicGadget

You wouldn’t talk Sony’s products down if you and the Sony CEO were BFF’s 😛

Also, i own the Z Ultra, and i believe it to be the best 6+ inch “phone” out there, and it’s a really great product altogether. I have never had any issues with it, but it’s a niche product, so the mainstream peeps out there won’t even have a second look at it. I wanted a HUGE device, so i had a choice between the Galaxy Mega and the One Max. The other two are “meh”. The Mega is a mid-range device, and the Max is a huge version of the One. So then the beast that’s named Ultra showed up. It’s a flagship device with top specs, and it had the huge screen i wanted. So even if it’s not your type of device, small or big, it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad product. If you don’t like it/them, fine, but you can’t go around and tell people that it sucks.